Tag Archives: Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Murder Takes a Turn – Book 5 of the Langham and Dupré Mystery series by Eric Brown

BLURB: A country house weekend in rural Cornwall ends in murder and mayhem for crime-writer sleuth Donald Langham and his wife Maria.

When Langham’s literary agent receives a cryptic letter inviting him to spend the weekend at the grand Cornish home of successful novelist Denbigh Connaught, Charles Elder seems reluctant to attend. What really happened between Elder and Connaught during the summer of 1917, nearly forty years before – and why has it had such a devastating effect on Charles?

Accompanying his agent to Connaught House, Langham and his wife Maria discover that Charles is not the only one to have received a letter. But why has Denbigh Connaught gathered together a group of people who each bear him a grudge?

When a body is discovered in Connaught’s study, the ensuing investigation uncovers dark secrets that haunt the past of each and every guest – including Charles Elder himself …

I picked the Netgalley arc up on a whim, wanting a bit more murder mystery in my life – and so far have thoroughly enjoyed this trip into the past, where murders occur in lovely houses where a number of people have gathered who don’t know or like each other very much…

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:Crossways – Book 2 of the Psi-Tech series by Jacey Beford

Page 386: Though there were only a few residents in the lobby and no one seemed to be taking any interest in them, they immediately switched to silent communication.*Any luck?* Ben asked.
Cara could see from Kitty’s expression that the answer was no.*There’s already an investigation underway into Ari,* Kitty said. *Barb Rehling is dead.*
Cara was getting an odd feeling from Kitty. She glanced up. *There’s more.*
Kitty nodded and licked her lips. *I still have access to records. I checked on Etta Langham.**And?**She’s been transferred to sentier-4**As an inmate or staff?* Ben asked.*That’s the big question, isn’t it?* Kitty kept her eyes averted from Cara’s gaze. *What do you think?*

BLURB: Ben Benjamin, psi-tech Navigator, and Cara Carlinni, Telepath, can never go home again. To the Trust and Alphacorp alike they are wanted criminals. Murder, terrorism, armed insurrection, hijacking, grand theft, and kidnapping are just the top of a long list of other charges they’ll face if they’re caught.

So they’d better not get caught.

These are the people who defied the megacorporations and saved a colony by selling the platinum mining rights and relocating ten thousand colonists somewhere safe, and they’re not saying where that is. They take refuge on crimelord-run Crossways Station with the remnants of their team of renegade psi-techs and the Solar Wind, their state of the art jumpship. They’ve made a promise to find a missing space ark with thirty thousand settlers aboard. But to do that Ben and Cara have to confront old enemies.

I really enjoyed the first book, Empire of Dust, in what is shaping up to be a really entertaining and action-packed space opera adventure. So far, this one is delivering lots of twists and more enjoyment in rebonding with Ben and Cara.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Breach of Containment – Book 3 of the Central Corps series by Elizabeth Bonesteel

BLURB: Space is full of the unknown . . . most of it ready to kill you.

When hostilities between factions threaten to explode into a shooting war on the moon of Yakutsk, the two major galactic military powers, Central Corps and PSI, send ships to defuse the situation. But when a strange artifact is discovered, events are set in motion that threaten the entire colonized galaxy—including former Central Corps Commander Elena Shaw…

p. 106 “Wait.” He got to his feet, and she stopped. “Elena, I can’t send you on a military rescue.”
“It’s not a military rescue,” she reasoned, “it’s a PSI rescue. And you’re not sending me anywhere. I don’t work for you anymore.”
At that his jaw set, and she was abruptly aware she might have phrased that more tactfully. But when he spoke, he kept his temper. “Okay, then, how about this?” It’s irresponsible of you to head off into the unknown in a civilian shuttle. Ilyana’s got weapons. You don’t.”

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books in this action-packed, engrossing space opera. So I was delighted to get hold of a library copy of this final book in the series and I’m really enjoying getting back in touch with these vivid, layered characters and this interesting world.

Apologies for not replying to comments – I will get to them but a rather scary thunderstorm yesterday knocked out our internet connection and fused our television. Hopefully a new router is on its way to us.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Gwithyas: Door to the Void by Isha Crowe20% Old, yellow paper that crumbles, so I have to hold it carefully. The first words, in elaborate old-fashioned handwriting, are: ‘I will mourn you forever, my love.’
I put it aside. Too labour-intensive to read, and way too depressing. At the moment I don’t want to learn about the miserable fates of my pathetic ancestors. I feel bad enough as it is, and really don’t need to be reminded of how hopeless our situation is, how impossible it is that Mum will ever live in the nice, sunny house she so desires, that my sisters will ever go to school, that Dad will ever smile. Or that I will ever live the life of a normal boy.

BLURB: Zircon Gwithyas just wants to be a normal teenager, preferably one with a girlfriend. If you’re a spotty nerd with glasses as thick as jam jars, that isn’t easy.It’s even harder when you live in a derelict manor on a haunted hill with a bunch of spooky eccentrics for a family, and the object of your affection is an irritable sword-wielding college student.It becomes virtually impossible when you are dragged into a dark, chaotic semi-reality where your moderately-deceased ancestors expect you to save the world from a horde of grotesque demons with a fondness for torture…

This is a delightful, quirky read that I’m really enjoying. It reminds me more than a little of Matt Haig’s The Radleys as this teenage boy in the middle of paranormal mayhem is yearning for a normal existence. I have yet to discover if his dream comes true – I’m going to guess it probably doesn’t.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Scourged – Book 9 of the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne8% The fancy law is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and it says if ye have an isolated system, then entropy will increase and—gods damn it, let’s just say things turn to shite and be done with it, all right? We can call it the First Law of Owen.

BLURB: Unchained from fate, the Norse gods Loki and Hel are ready to unleash Ragnarok, a.k.a. the Apocalypse, upon the earth. They’ve made allies on the darker side of many pantheons, and there’s a globe-spanning battle brewing that ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan will be hard-pressed to survive, much less win.

Granuaile MacTiernan must join immortals Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen in a fight against the Yama Kings in Taiwan, but she discovers that the stakes are much higher than she thought.

Meanwhile, Archdruid Owen Kennedy must put out both literal and metaphorical fires from Bavaria to Peru to keep the world safe for his apprentices and the future of Druidry.

And Atticus recruits the aid of a tyromancer, an Indian witch, and a trickster god in hopes that they’ll give him just enough leverage to both save Gaia and see another sunrise. There is a hound named Oberon who deserves a snack, after all.

As you can see, I’m right at the beginning of this one – and Hearne has done me a great favour by giving ‘The story so far’ roundup to remind me of what the stakes are with this one… I’ve just encountered Owen – see above – who has become my favourite character in this series.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Obscura by Joe Hart31% There were some words that never fully encompassed the true depth of their meaning. Some were so small, so insignificant, that what they represented dwarfed them into meaningless and trivial utterances.
“Death” was one.
“Alone” was another.
Gillian caught herself thinking this as she gazed out the window at the passing stars.

BLURB: In the near future, an aggressive and terrifying new form of dementia is affecting victims of all ages. The cause is unknown, and the symptoms are disturbing. Dr. Gillian Ryan is on the cutting edge of research and desperately determined to find a cure. She’s already lost her husband to the disease, and now her young daughter is slowly succumbing as well. After losing her funding, she is given the unique opportunity to expand her research. She will travel with a NASA team to a space station where the crew has been stricken with symptoms of a similar inexplicable psychosis—memory loss, trances, and violent, uncontrollable impulses…

The main protagonist is gritty, courageous and beleaguered – my favourite kind. And we are now out in space – yippee! What happens next? I am looking forward to finding out!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Song of Blood and Stone – Book 1of the Earthsinger Chronicles by L. Penelope
44% The Elsiran soldiers were now tasked with housing those whom they’d only ever seen as the enemy. The atmosphere was taut with tension.
Two soldiers tramped down the hall. Their conversation halted when they caught sight of her. Jasminda averted her eyes, but couldn’t avoid the hostility rolling off them.
The men continued on, but their voices reached her. “Looks like the commander has himself a new pet.”

BLURB: Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive–an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart…

I am really enjoying this one – the world is well drawn and Jasminda is an engaging and sympathetic protagonist. The magic system is only now becoming clear, but the rules and consequences are intriguing and I’m keen to see where it goes next.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

The Hyena and the Hawk – Book 3 of the Echoes of the Fall series by Adrian Tchaikovsky

44% Galethea had a hollow face. It was pleasant enough, but she had exactly the same yawning hunger behind her that all the enemy did. And yet, as she sat there trying to be meek and unthreatening, she did something to herself. Maniye never saw her change, but heartbeat to beartbeat it was as though she painted herself, thicker and thicker layers over that pale face until she was beautiful and the hollowness was all but hidden.

BLURB: From the depths of the darkest myths, the soulless Plague People have returned. Their pale-walled camps obliterate villages, just as the terror they bring with them destroys minds. In their wake, nothing is left of the true people: not their places, not their ways. The Plague People will remake the world as though they had never been. The heroes and leaders of the true people – Maniye, Loud Thunder, Hesprec and Asman – will each fight the Plague People in their own ways. They will seek allies, gather armies and lead the charge. But a thousand swords or ten thousand spears will not suffice to turn back this enemy. The end is at hand for everything the true people know.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series – see my review of The Tiger and the Wolf so was determined to get hold of this one when it came out. And I’m really glad I did… Once more Tchaikovsky’s vivid writing has pulled me into this engrossing, thought-provoking world.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Still Me – Book 3 of the Me Before You series by Jojo Moyes

p. 174 The thought of being alone for a few days felt like a little oasis.
‘What would you like me to do while you’re gone?’ I asked.
‘Have some days off!’ she said, smiling. ‘You are my friend, Louisa! I think you must have a nice time while I am away. Oh, I am so excited to see my family. So excited!’ She clapped her hands. ‘Just to Poland! No stupid charity things to go to! I am so happy.’
I remembered how reluctant she had been to leave her husband even for a night when I had arrived. And pushed the thought away.

BLURB: Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past.Like a fair proportion of the planet, I’ve read the first two books in this series and was delighted when my lovely mother sent me this hardback edition as a pressie. I’m again thoroughly caught up in Lou’s adventures, enjoying this feisty, amusing protagonist and her take on life.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

The Blood – Book 3 of the Jem Flockhart series by E.S. Thomson

16% ‘What will you do?’
She sat up and put her pipe on the hearth. ‘Well, sir—’Sir, I thought. That’s not a good sign. ‘No,’ I said.
Her face sagged. ‘But you don’t know what I were about to suggest!’
‘You were about to suggest coming here to work.’
‘No,’ said Will. ‘Definitely no.’
Mrs Speedicut sank back. ‘I will die in the streets,’ she said. ‘You’re all I got! What would your dear father say if he were to hear you treating me with such cruelty?’ Tears filled her beady eyes and she covered her face with her apron. The sight would have been quite affecting had it not been for the fact that I could see her peeping craftily out at me from around the edge of it.

BLURB: I knew the smell of death well enough. But here the sweetness of decay was tainted with something else, something new and different. It was a curious, moist smell; a smell that spoke of the ooze and slap of water, of gurgling wet spaces and the sticky, yielding mud of low-tide…

Summoned to the riverside by the desperate, scribbled note of an old friend, Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain find themselves on board the seamen’s floating hospital, an old hulk known only as The Blood, where prejudice, ambition and murder seethe beneath a veneer of medical respectability.

I have just started this one – it’s a vivid world, full of grot and effluvia, but I like the protagonist and the prose is well written and smoothly engrossing. I don’t normally read historical whodunits back to back – but my arc schedule has thrown two together and so far, I’m thoroughly enjoying the change from my usual reading pattern.